When the emperor comes to modern times, history collapses!

Hongwu Ming Dynasty.

After the court was adjourned, Old Zhu returned to the imperial study with steady steps.

The current imperial study was rebuilt.

Completely different from the original style.

The former furnishings are gone, replaced by a series of objects full of modern flavor.

The shiny refrigerator stands quietly in a corner, like a mysterious treasure chest; the colorful TV screen flickers with light, like a window leading to a wonderful world; and the washing machine keeps turning, making a slight humming sound, as if it is whispering a song of labor.

Looking at the soft and comfortable sofa, the exquisite and elegant coffee table and the large and practical desk, all of them give people a brand new atmosphere.

Old Zhu slowly walked to the spacious and bright floor-to-ceiling window and gazed quietly at the scenery outside the window.

What came into view was an exquisite rockery with rugged rocks and shady trees, like a natural landscape painting. However, at this moment, Lao Zhu's eyes revealed a trace of loneliness and solitude, and the beautiful rockery could not dispel the haze in his heart.

Just then, Queen Ma walked over lightly with a cup of steaming hot tea in her hand.

He came to Lao Zhu and asked with concern, "Zhongba, has something happened? You have been standing here for half an hour, and you keep sighing."

Old Zhu shook his head gently, forced a smile and said, "It's nothing serious, don't worry. The Ming Dynasty is thriving now! The granaries are full of grain, the people live and work in peace and contentment, and life is much better than before. When we returned to our hometown in Fengyang a few days ago, the villagers all lined the streets to welcome us and were very grateful to us. We were so happy in our hearts, how could we have any worries!"

Empress Ma smiled slightly, took a sip of tea, then put down the cup, looked at Old Zhu tenderly, and said softly, "We are an old married couple. We have been through ups and downs together for so many years. Even if you can hide it from others, you can't hide it from me! Tell me the truth, is it because you haven't caught many corrupt officials recently that you are so depressed?"

After hearing this, Old Zhu was stunned at first, then he burst into laughter, took Empress Ma's hand and praised: "Haha, my sister really understands me! What I'm thinking about in my heart really can't escape your eyes. Tell me, how come the officialdom of the Ming Dynasty during the Hongwu period has suddenly become so clean? There are so many fewer corrupt officials all of a sudden. In recent days, not even a few decent corrupt officials have been caught."

Looking back to the past, corrupt officials were rampant in the world. Whenever Old Zhu thought of this, he would get so angry that his teeth would itch and hurt so much that his mind would be filled with thoughts of how to completely eradicate these parasites.

Time flies. In recent years, the situation has improved greatly and the number of corrupt officials has been decreasing.

Nowadays, the average number of corrupt officials arrested in a month is not even as many as the number arrested in a day in the past.

In this regard, Empress Ma seemed quite calm and composed, she explained with a smile: "This is actually very normal.

In the past, the salaries of officials were extremely meager, especially for those petty officials at the grassroots level. If they did not engage in corruption and take bribes, they would probably not even be able to maintain their basic livelihood and would not be able to survive anyway. As a result, they naturally embarked on the path of corruption.

But things are very different nowadays!
Nowadays, officials not only have their salaries greatly increased, but also have performance bonuses and year-end rewards waiting for them. When they retire in old age, they will also have a series of welfare benefits such as generous pensions to enjoy.

They can live a good and comfortable life without resorting to illegal means such as corruption.

They all hope to be published in the Daming Daily as honest and good officials.

Furthermore, if one dares to commit corruption or bribery and is caught, the consequences will be extremely serious.

Not only will they be immediately dismissed from their posts and investigated, and thrown into jail, but all their welfare benefits will instantly vanish.

Moreover, this scandal will be published in major newspapers and periodicals, making the crime known to people all over the world. This will not only affect his own and three generations of descendants' chances of taking the civil service examinations, but also other members of the family, their official positions and jobs, etc. will be implicated and dismissed.

Those tribesmen must have scolded him to death.

If the amount of corruption exceeds the prescribed upper limit, the person will face the tragic end of having his property confiscated and his family exterminated.

The risk is so huge, and the benefits are negligible compared to it.

How could anyone with a clear mind take the risk and choose the road of no return of corruption? "

"I know everything that my sister said very clearly. But now that there are no corrupt officials, no matter what I do, I feel uncomfortable and can't muster the energy." Old Zhu frowned, his face full of depression.

Thinking about myself, Lao Zhu sometimes also deserves a beating.

When there were too many corrupt officials, he would be upset and worried all day long; but now there are fewer corrupt officials, but he is still so depressed.

At this moment, suddenly, a voice full of teasing meaning came.

"Hey, Old Zhu, why don't we just change the laws of the Ming Dynasty and lighten the punishment for corrupt officials? When we encounter small cases of corruption and bribery, we can just turn a blind eye and train a group of new corrupt officials to play with. How do you think?"

When Old Zhu heard this, he was furious, his eyes wide open, and he shouted loudly: "Which fool is talking nonsense here? He is so tired of living that he doesn't want to die! Come on, quickly capture this thief for me!"

When Lao Zhu turned around, he saw a face that deserved a beating.

The person standing behind him was none other than Zhu Ming.

In an instant, the raging anger in Lao Zhu's heart disappeared without a trace.

"Humph, it's you, kid. No one else would dare to say that except you."

"Hehe, I really didn't expect that you, Old Zhu, would be such a person. Tell me honestly, were you a little excited just now?" Zhu Ming said jokingly.

After hearing this, Lao Zhu showed an awkward smile on his face, scratched the back of his head and explained: "Hehe, I was just complaining casually. In my heart, of course, I hope that there will be fewer and fewer corrupt officials in this world."

Erhu led a team of majestic guards and rushed in hurriedly.

They all looked nervous and excited, especially Erhu, who was extremely excited.

It's been a long time since I've performed.

No matter what, we must seize this opportunity and show off our skills.

When his eyes fell upon the scene inside the imperial study, Erhu's excited heart instantly calmed.

I had a rough idea in my mind what had happened.

So he hurriedly bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I will take my leave first!" After that, he led a group of guards and left in a hurry.

Zhu Ming raised a sly smile and said softly, "Look at your sad face. I think you must be in a bad mood. So I came here specially to give you a good medicine."

Hearing this, Lao Zhu was slightly stunned, and asked in confusion: "Send medicine? I am healthy and have no symptoms, why do I need to take medicine? Instead, bring us some of those safety balloons you have."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Ming immediately frowned and accused him seriously, "Oh my, Old Zhu, Old Zhu, I never thought you would be so depraved now! I was thinking of inviting you to investigate those hateful corrupt officials, but I didn't know that your mind was full of messy and dirty thoughts. I think I should find someone else. It seems that another young you should be interested."

When he heard the words "catch corrupt officials", Lao Zhu's originally slightly listless expression instantly disappeared, and was replaced by a face full of surprise.

I couldn't wait to ask, "What? Are you going to catch corrupt officials? Tell me which dynasty it is, and we'll go there right away!"

Obviously, when it comes to punishing corrupt officials, Lao Zhu is full of passion and enthusiasm.

Zhu Ming cleared his throat and explained in an orderly manner: "Just a few days ago, a new emperor came to the Han Dynasty. It was Liu Xie, the last emperor of the Eastern Han Dynasty. I'm sure you have heard of this person."

Old Zhu nodded thoughtfully and replied, "Oh, so you are talking about the puppet emperor who is in name only."

"That's him. Now the Lius have regained control of the situation, but after all, it is the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, and there are certainly many complicated contradictions and problems. Those corrupt officials are like locusts all over the court, making the atmosphere chaotic and the people miserable. The Lius want to rectify the court, and they specifically asked me to ask for your help to help discipline these corrupt officials. I will provide you with food and accommodation, and after the task is completed, I will give you a full five million silver dollars as a reward for your hard work!"

Hearing this, Old Zhu was stunned for a moment, then he burst into laughter: "Hahahaha, what's the point of talking about hard work? I've always hated those corrupt guys since I was a child. Catching corrupt officials is my specialty! Forget about five million silver dollars. Even if you don't give me a penny, I will never hesitate!"

At this time, Empress Ma, who had been standing silently by the side, gently pulled on Zhu's sleeve and reminded him softly, "Chongba, it's good to arrest corrupt officials, but you can't completely ignore the affairs of the court."

Old Zhu stopped walking after hearing this, turned to look at Queen Ma, patted his chest confidently and replied: "Sister, you can put your mind at ease! Now we have a cabinet, and Li Shanchang and other ministers are all smart and capable people. They have already formulated a detailed and comprehensive development plan for the next few years. So even if I leave for a while, it will not have much impact on the overall situation."

A few years ago, Lao Zhu gave Li Shanchang two file bags.

One of the file bags contained historical records about Li Shanchang's final fate;
Another file bag detailed all the crimes, big and small, that Li Shanchang had committed over the years, as well as solid evidence of his embezzlement. It also included a list of Li Shanchang's family members, even some who were not remotely related to him.

The purpose couldn't be more obvious.

At that time, Li Shanchang was so frightened that his face turned pale, his legs went weak, and a warm current flowed down his trouser legs, instantly soaking the ground beneath his feet.

From that day on, Li Shanchang seemed like a different person.

Resolutely draw a line between yourself and everyone.

Today, he is a man of strong character, upright and impartial.

"Sister, I have to go out on business for a while. During this time, you have to help me take good care of the Ming Dynasty." Old Zhu said to Queen Ma earnestly.

"Zhongba, you must be careful when you go out and don't overwork yourself." Queen Ma responded gently.

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing." Lao Zhu patted his chest with a confident look on his face.

Zhu Ming at the side asked, "Should we set off now?"

Old Zhu shook his head and replied, "Don't worry, we still have to send someone to inform He Shen."

Hearing this, Zhu Ming couldn't help but blurt out: "To be honest, I never dreamed that you could get involved with Heshen."

Old Zhu snorted coldly and said unhappily: "Humph, he should be thankful that he was an official of the Qing Dynasty. If he was an official of the Ming Dynasty, and he had taken so much bribes, we would have killed all his clans!"

Not long after, a fat figure with a greasy face came hurriedly over.

This person was Heshen, and he was holding a huge suitcase tightly in his hand.

As early as the moment he received the notice, Heshen already knew what this was all about.

Looking back on the past, he never expected that one day he would join Zhu Yuanzhang's army and help capture those greedy officials?
"Your Majesty, I, Heshen, pay my respects to you, the Dragon Emperor."

"No need to be polite, let's go now once we are ready."

Step into the space-time channel.

When they appeared again, several people came to Zhu Ming's villa.

Old Zhu blinked and asked in confusion: "Xiao Zhu, you are in the wrong place, aren't we going to Dahan to catch corrupt officials? Do you want me to catch you here?"

Zhu Ming hurriedly shook his head: "How is that possible? Our satisfaction rate is 98%. We come here to get some food and wine. Otherwise, the food and wine from the late Eastern Han Dynasty, do you think you can get used to it?"

Old Zhu shook his head: "I'm sure you won't be used to it. Now that we've gone back to the years before Hongwu, I guess you won't be used to the food back then. I have to say that there are so many different kinds of condiments in later times that any small shop can surpass the imperial chefs of the past."

Zhu Ming chuckled: "The seasonings we give you are all produced by our group. If we give you some technology and hard work, you can even chew a piece of wood with relish."

Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty.

An octagonal table was placed in the middle of the imperial study.

Several people who were resting with their eyes closed suddenly opened their eyes.

Emperor Wu of Han laughed out loud: "Hahahaha, Old Zhu, I haven't seen you for a few days. Why do you seem to have lost weight? Are you afraid that you will be sent to the slaughterhouse during the New Year, so you deliberately lose weight?"

Old Zhu smiled slightly and said calmly, "According to historical records, Emperor Wu of Han became lustful of a Xiongnu woman and went to war to forcibly seize her. The war lasted for decades and all the wealth accumulated during the reigns of Emperor Wen and Emperor Jing was wasted."

Emperor Wu of Han was stunned: "Old Zhu, you are not changing history, you are making it up!"

Lao Zhu chuckled and said, "We have experience. Whether it's true or not, we can change it to an official certification for you."

"You are awesome!" (End of this chapter)